Joseph Leo Dionne
Joseph Leo Dionne or just "Uncle Leo" as the family called him was born on May 4, 1920 in Manchester New Hampshire. He was the third surviving son of Jule and Eugenia Dionne’s seven children. He attended grade school for only a few years, never attending junior high or high school. In the days of the depression that was the norm rather than the exception. Many children had to grow up quickly and work at an early age. Leo was no exception to that rule. He spent most of his life in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania area. He worked at various jobs but was at the Electric Truck Company prior to joining the Navy on August 28, 1943. Dionne attended boot camp at the Bainbridge Naval Training center in Bainbridge, Maryland.
Shortly thereafter he was assigned to the USS Roche (DE 197) a Destroyer Escort
(DE) escorting convoys in the battle of the Atlantic. He remained with the ship
until the end of the war in Europe. From there he transferred to the pacific
theatre. The ship arrived too late to fight the Japanese but was struck by a
mine escorting the USS FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE when it entered Tokyo Bay. A subsequent inspection revealed that the ship was no longer operable due to heavy damage in the rudder area and DE-197 became a "Station Ship". It was decided later to to sink the hulk instead of towing it back to the States. This is
Uncle Leo's story and the the story of the "Mighty Roche"
Enlistment,
Training and the USS Roche (DE197) 
The Pacific Theatre- Guam and Japan
They
Served with Honor : Home Page
References,
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